Lock assembly for metal box

ABSTRACT

A lock assembly for the hinged door of a metal box employs a pivot bolt with a locking arm, and a handle which is connected to the pivot bolt by means of a transverse pivot pin. The handle is used to swing the locking arm about the axis of the pivot bolt, and the handle may be secured to hold the arm in locked position. This is accomplished by means of an apertured tab near the swinging end of the handle which is engaged by a lock pin actuated by a key-operated mechanism.

ted States Patet i 1 Fleming 1 LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR METAL BOX [75] Inventor: Robert T. Fleming, Corona Del Mar,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Fleming Metal Fabricators, Los Angeles, Calif.

22 Filed: Aug. 30, 1971 211 Appl. No.: 176,040

[52] US. Cl 70/81, 70/82, 70/114, 70/208 [51] Int. Cl E05b 5/02, E05b 13/08 [58] Field of Search 70/7 l, 81, 82, 83, 70/84, 208

[56] v References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,377,301 5/1945 Rolphf. 70/208,

2,131,033 9/1938 Harrington et al 70/208 1 July 1?, i973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 369,403 3/1939 Italy 70/208 729,425 l2/l942 Germany ..70/208 Primary Examiner-Albert G. Craig, Jr. Attorney-Lyon & Lyon [57] ABSTRACT A lock assembly for the hinged door ofa metal box employs a pivot bolt with a lockingarm, and a handle which is connected to the pivot bolt by means of a transverse pivot pin. The handle is used to swing the locking arm about the axis of the pivot bolt, and the handle may be secured to hold the arm in locked posi tion. This is accomplished by means of an apertured tab near the swinging end of the handle whichis engaged by a lock pin actuated by a key-operated mechanism.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures This invention relates to a lock mechanism which is particularly adapted for use on the hinged door of a metal box. This is by way of illustration, and not of limitation, however, This invention will be described in connection with a lock mechanism for a metal tool box of the type employed on road vehicles such as trucks and tractors.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a heavy duty handle which may be pivoted away from a face plate to permit manual grasping of the handle, and so that subsequent swinging movement of the Mn dle may cause a pivot bolt to actuate a latch arm under the face plate. A key-operated mechanism actuates a sliding lock pin which enters an aperture in a tab mounted on the underside of the handle. When the handle is in locked position adjacent the face plate, the

operating parts of the lock mechanism are inaccessible,

to prevent unauthorized opening of the cover of the metal box.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partly broken away, showing a preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a section elevation taken substantially on the lines 2-2 as shown in FIG. 1, the parts being illustrated in locked position.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing parts turned to a release position.

FIG. 4 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the lines 4-4 as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view, partly broken away, showing a modification.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevationtaken substantially on the lines 66 as-shown in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the lock assembly generally designated 10 includes a stationary face plate 11 adapted to be secured by rivets orother fasteners 12 to the locking the hinged cover 13 of a metal box 14. The hinged cover 13 has a swinging end 15 which closes against the stationary box surface 16. The cover l3'may comprise two laterally spaced walls 17 and 18 defining a space between them. The front wall 17 has a rectangular aperture 19 and the rear wall 18 has a circular aperture 20.

A handle 23 has a pair of ears 24 on its underside, at one end. A rectangular portion 25 of the pivot bolt 27 is received between the ears 24 and is pivotally connected to them by means of the pivot pin 26. This portion 25 is formed integrally with the pivot bolt 27 which projects through the aperture and through the aligned aperture 29 provided in the base of the cup 30. The rim of the cup 30 is attached by weld metal 31 to the underside of the face plate 11 adjacent the opening 28. An integral flange 33 on the pivot bolt 27 slidably contacts the cup 30. A seal ring 34 engages the wall 18 which lies adjacent the bottom of the cup 30 and is held in place by a washer 35 engaged by a nut 36 threadedon the pivot bolt 27. The nut 36 serves to clamp the flange 33, cup 30, wall 18, seal ring 34 and washer 35 together.

The pivot bolt 27 has parallel flats 38 which are engaged by a non-circular opening in the latching arm 39.

A clamping nut 40 clamps the arm 39 against the nut. 36. From this description it will be understood that the handle 23, pivot bolt 27 and latching arm 39 turn as a unit about the axis of the pivot bolt 27. The extending end of the arm 39 engages a shoulder 42 on the metal box 14 to hold the cover 13 in closed position.

Thehandle 23 is provided with a laterally projecting tab near its swinging end, and this tab is provided with an aperture 45. The tab 44 projects through an opening 46 in the face plate 11 and is received within the interior of a box element 47 fixed to the face plate 11 and aligned with the opening 46. The tab 44 contacts the bottom wall of the box element 47 to limit swinging movement of the handle 23 in one direction about the pivot pin 26. A look pin 48 is slidably mounted in an opening 49 in the box element 47 and is connected by means of a threaded stud 51 to the sliding element 52 of a key-operated locking device 53. This locking device 53 is clamped to the face plate 11 and engages the wall 18. A protuberance 54 on the locking device 53 projects into an opening 55 provided in the handle 23. A conventional key, not shown, may be inserted into the key slot 56 provided in the locking device 53, and turning motion of the key causes an internal crank pin 58 to move the sliding member 52 axially, and this in turn serves to project the lock pin 48 into and out of the aperture 45 in the handle tab 44. A double-ended torsion spring 60 is operatively interposed between the handle pivot pin 26 and the portion 25 of the pivot bolt 27, and its action is to swing the handle 23 about the pivot pin 26 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, to move the tab 44 into the box element 47. This spring 60, the pivot pin 26, ears 24 and pivot bolt portion 25 are all contained within an enclosure 62. This enclosure is defined by the cup 30 and by the portion of the handle 23 which lies adjacent to the pivot pin 26. Also positioned in the enclosure 62 is a circular plate 64 having a rectangular aperture 65 to receive the rectangular cross section 66 of the portion 25 of the pivot bolt 27, so that the circular plate 64 turns with the pivot bolt 27. A radial projection 67 on the circular plate 64 engages a stationary pin 68 fixed to the cup 30 to limit the extent of turning movement of the pivot bolt 27 and the handle 23.

In the locked position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the arm 39 underlies the shoulder 42 on the box 14 to hold the cover 13 closed on the box. The handle 23 is locked by the presence of the pin 48 in the handle tab 44. In order to swing the cover 13 to open position, a conventional key, not shown, is inserted into the key slot 56 (FIG. 1) and is turned to retract the member 52 and to retract the pin 48 from the aperture 45 in the handle tab 44. The key is then removed and the handle23 is swung about the axis of the pivot pin 26 to a position such as indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 2. The handle 23 may then be rotated about the axis of the pivot bolt 38 to move the arm 39 to clear the portion 42 of the box 14. FIG. 3 shows the handle 23 after ithas been turned through one-quarter revolution. The handle 23 may then be used to swing the cover 15- to an open position, about its hinges, not shown. The handle 23 is relatively wide, covering the aperture 46 leading into the box member '47, so that the pin 48 is inaccessible. Also, it will be noted that the pin 43 and the handle tab 44 are located in a remote position with respect to the pivot pin 26 and the pivot bolt 27, so that relatively small parts are effective to prevent swinging of the handle about the pivot pin 26 or about the axis of the pivot bolt 27. Moreover, the construc tion in which the wide handle 23 effectively covers the lock-operating mechanism 53 offers protection against unauthorized opening of the box 14 by tampering with the mechanism 53.

In the modified form of the invention shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, two locking arms 70 and 71 are employed instead of a single locking arm. The arms are pivotally connected at 72 and 73 to a pair of parallel actuating plates 74 and 75 fixed to the pivot bolt 27. Each of the arms 70 and 71 slides through a guide 76, 77 fixed to the pivoted cover 13a. in other respects the construction and operation of this modified lock device is the same as that previously described.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the details herein set forth but that my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a lock mechanism, the combination of: a face plate having an aperture, a cup member fixed to the face plateand having an opening aligned with said aperture, a pivot bolt mounted symmetrically on said cup member for turning movement and having a noncircular head portion positioned within said cup member, a latch arm on the pivot bolt, a manually graspable handle having ears receiving said pivot bolt portion between them, a pivot pin connecting said handle ears to said portion of said pivot bolt, whereby the handle may be swung about said pivot bolt away from the face plate, resilient means within the cup member opposing handle movement away from said face plate, a portion of the handle cooperating with the face plate and cup member to define an enclosure, said ears, resilient means and head portion of the pivot bolt being positioned within said enclosure, said handle having an apertured tab remote from said pivot pin, a lock pin slidably mounted on said face plate for engagement with said apertured tab, 21 key-operated mechanism mounted on said face plate between said lock pin and said pivot bolt and having a portion projecting from said face plate, the handle having an opening receiving said projecting portion, and means whereby said keyoperated device may actuate said lock pin, whereby upon withdrawal of said lock pin from said apertured tab said handle may be swung away from said face plate about the pivot pin and subsequently turned to turn said pivot bolt. 

1. In a lock mechanism, the combination of: a face plate having an aperture, a cup member fixed to the face plate and having an opening aligned with said aperture, a pivot bolt mounted symmetrically on said cup member for turning movement and having a non-circular head portion positioned within said cup member, a latch arm on the pivot bolt, a manually graspable handle having ears receiving said pivot bolt portion between them, a pivot pin connecting said handle ears to said portion of said pivot bolt, whereby the handle may be swung about said pivot bolt away from the face plate, resilient means within the cup member opposing handle movement away from said face plate, a portion of the handle cooperating with the face plate and cup member to define an enclosure, said ears, resilient means and head portion of the pivot bolt being positioned within said enclosure, said handle having an apertured tab remote from said pivot pin, a lock pin slidably mounted on said face plate for engagement with said apertured tab, a key-operated mechanism mounted on said face plate between said lock pin and said pivot bolt and having a portion projecting from said face plate, the handle having an opening receiving said projecting portion, and means whereby said key-operated device may actuate said lock pin, whereby upon withdrawal of said lock pin from said apertured tab said handle may be swung away from said face plate about the pivot pin and subsequently turned to turn said pivot bolt. 